1/. The MSM story [mainstream media] about Megan Kelly's interview with Alex Jones is that it was an utter failure, but Matt Taibbi has a different view....
Excellent story....
Megyn Kelly Vivisects Bloated Conspiracy Hog Alex Jones
Last year around election time, I sent a clip of Infowars lunatic Alex Jones to a friend. It was one of the ultimate Jones set pieces: his classic "gay bomb" rant, where the balloon-faced TV host turns baboon-ass red working himself up into a rage about Pentagon-designed hormonal weaponry that supposedly can "turn the frickin' frogs gay!"
"What do you think tap water is?" he croaks, in the broadcast. "It's a gay bomb, baby!"
My friend wrote back. "Who the hell is that?" he said.
Why, I responded, that's Alex Jones, one of the most influential people in the United States.
My friend didn't believe it. "Come on, this is a gag or something," he said. His actual quote was that the Jones show was like a Nazi version of Tommy Boy, which to him was too funny of an idea to have been generated unironically.
This isn't an uncommon reaction. Most sane people can't process Jones. Nor can they deal with the fact that he drew 83 million page views during election month last November, or that Infowars had 5.3 million unique visitors in May of last year.
2/. A challenging story for Democrats to read......but you need to read it because unless the party seniors change Dems will continue to lose....
Good stuff from Bill Curry in Salon....
Yes, Democrats need a civil war: Believe it or not, it’s the only real path back to power
Papering over the party's internal conflicts only led to defeat. Without open debate, victory will never come
In April, Bernie Sanders and Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez took off on a bumpy cross-country road trip. Their “unity tour” mostly served to highlight their differences and remind people that Sanders is not actually a Democrat. May it be a lesson to Democrats: Unity requires agreement, which requires debate.
Many expected 2016’s losing party to engage in fierce debate and a bloody civil war. Had Republicans lost, they’d have opened fire on one another in their concession speeches. Democrats took another tack. First, they rehired all their top management; their discredited consultants and decrepit congressional leaders. Then, in the spirit of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, they cancelled the debate.
Party elders say it’s no time to squabble. They always say that. The specter of an emotionally arrested, proto-fascist fraud in the White House adds force to their argument, but ducking debate is what got Democrats here in the first place. This is in fact the exact right time, maybe even their last chance, to have one. So, what’s stopping them?
One problem is President Donald Trump.
3/. Stephen Colbert with an exclusive interview with Melania Trump returning to the White House.......four really, really funny minutes....
Melania Trump wants you to know she’s really happy now that she’s moved into the White House to live with President Donald Trump.
Or rather, the version of the first lady played to perfection by Laura Benanti on “The Late Show” does.
“I couldn’t be happier, see?” she told host Stephen Colbert. “These are my happy eyes.”
4/. Rolling Stone interviews Rachel Maddow......I believe her more than anyone else in the news industry.....we tape and watch her A-block which is the first 20 minutes of her show.....
5/. Stephen Colbert's opener with a 7 minute piece on Trump and his lawyer Jay Seculow......quite good......
By the way the reason Trump hired this guy was a lot of major firms of attorneys don't want to work for him, and Seculow was on Fox and Friends and Trump liked him.....
Stephen Colbert took aim Monday at the confusing damage control by President Donald Trump’s lawyer Jay Sekulow.
After Trump confirmed he was under investigation for obstruction of justice in the FBI’s Russia investigation, Sekulow contradicted the commander-in-chief by saying Trump was not under investigation. Or did he?
During appearances on news shows, the lawyer seemed to say both ― and presented yet another possibility.
“So to recap ... Sekulow is saying Trump is not under investigation, is under investigation, and he has no idea if he’s under investigation,” Colbert said in a monologue on “The Late Show.” “A good lawyer covers his bases. That way when the judge asks how does your client plead, guilty or innocent, he can answer all of the above.”
6/. Amazon - we all use it, but there is a problem brewing.....good article from HuffPo....
America’s Amazon Problem
Jeff Bezos has created an empire that’s quickly raising political questions.
JASON REDMOND / REUTERS
To understand the depth and breadth of Jeff Bezos’ ambitions for the company he built, type www.relentless.com into your browser. The domain Bezos registered in 1994 will redirect to Amazon, the company aptly, and ambitiously, nicknamed The Everything Store. He tells his shareholders that the company will act like an aggressive startup — that at Amazon, it is always Day One.
Like Google and Facebook, Amazon uses technology and data to sidestep traditional restrictions on monopoly power. Our lives are increasingly organized by the platforms these companies run, platforms which now mediate the way we communicate and engage in commerce with each other. We are living in a world organized by tech monopolists, a change in power relationships that no one voted for but has been imposed upon us nonetheless.
Now, Bezos is attempting to add more power to his empire with the surprise announcement that the company will pay $13.7 billion for Whole Foods Market. Amazon will now have a store footprint in neighborhoods across America.
7/. Gail Collins from the Times with an amusing column.....let me qualify that - she makes a serious and depressing subject amusing....
Who do you think is Donald Trump’s worst cabinet member?
In a normal world we would never be asking this question because, of course, you would have no idea. In a normal world, an American who could come up with two cabinet names besides the secretary of state’s would be regarded as an unusually dedicated citizen.
But this year, every appointee is a potential star.
8/. John Oliver with three minutes on the Senate version of Trumpcare...."what a mess".....
John Oliver Embarrasses Republicans Over American Health Care Act
They’re probably just keeping it a secret because it’s so good!
A recent New York Times article shows that not a single state supports the Republican health bill, which is amazing since the entire nation agreeing on anything is miraculous.
On Sunday, John Oliver updated us on the status of the very secretive American Health Care Act, pointing out that Republicans literally don’t know what to say when confronted about the legislation.
9/. The most serious political problem of our time is the wealth inequality that has become worse over decades.....but there is a wrinkle to this issue with the statistics.....the super rich cheat - they hide their money to evade taxes, so these oligarchs are even wealthier than we think....
Investigative journalism from the Guardian.....
The statistics on inequality – those used, for instance, in Thomas Piketty’s bestseller, Capital in the Twenty-First Century – only include the income and wealth the taxman sees. So how high is inequality when also accounting for what he doesn’t see? Recent leaks from tax havens suggest the gap between the rich and the rest is even wider than we think.
Tax records are invaluable for the study of economic inequality. They contain detailed information about the income (and, in some countries, wealth) of taxpayers. Much of this information comes directly from employers and banks, and is therefore reliable. And because tax records exist as far back as the early 20th century, they can be used to shed light on the long-term evolution of inequality.
Climate Change #1
10/. Ticks causing the horrible Lyme disease are all over the NE states.......be careful!
a deer tick under a microscope in the entomology lab at the University of Rhode Island. (VICTORIA AROCHO/ASSOCIATED PRESS )
Twice in the same week, Lois Wood woke to find ticks crawling over her bare leg in her New Hampshire home. A few nights later, she spotted a mouse running across her bed.
A mother of seven, Wood tries to shrug off her tiny bedfellows. “It’s a common rural problem,” she says, although she admits that she has “never experienced anything like this in my own bed.”
The recent appearance of vermin and pests in Wood’s bedroom coincides with the warming temperatures related to climate change. The past three years have been the planet’s hottest on record, and it is in this changing climate that many pests thrive, negatively affecting human health.
Climate change #2
11/. It's so hot in Phoenix [120] that planes can't take off.......welcome to the future.....
(Credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
An intense heat wave is crippling the West this week, sending the mercury above 120 degrees in places like Phoenix. In a sign of just how hot things are getting, some airlines have had to cancel flights because of the heat.
American Airlines said it cancelled 50 flights out of Phoenix Sky Harbor aboard Bombardier CRJ aircraft on Tuesday because the planes can’t operate above 118 degrees.
12/. A Floriduh story......a state with one of the grayest populations is doing nothing to take care of older and poorer people.....
AARP says we're 46th out of 50 states.....Floriduh indeed....
The state with the highest share of older residents ranks among the worst at meeting their needs for long-term care, a new scorecard says.
Senior advocacy group AARP said Florida has slipped to 46th among the states in a study that measures factors such as the cost of private nursing-home care as a percentage of annual household income, the number of private long-term care insurance policies in effect and the proportion of people receiving Medicaid-financed in-home care.
“We are the grayest, but far from the greatest state in America when it comes to supporting family caregivers and caring for frail older people and the disabled,” said Jack McRay, AARP Florida advocacy manager. “While there are some bright spots in Florida’s long-term care record, it’s clear Florida is falling further behind other states.
Todays smart ass jokes
SMART ASS ANSWER #6It was mealtime during an airline flight.
'Would you like dinner?', the flight attendant asked John, seated in front.
'What are my choices?' John asked.
'Yes or no,' she replied.
SMART ASS ANSWER #5A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her.
Without missing a beat, she said, 'Sir, I need to see your ticket, not your stub.'
SMART ASS ANSWER #4A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked a stock boy, ' Do these turkeys get any bigger?'
The stock boy replied, 'No ma'am, they're dead...'SMART ASS ANSWER #3The police officer got out of his car as the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window. 'I've been waiting for you all day,' the officer said.
The kid replied, Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could.'
When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.
SMART ASS ANSWER #2A truck driver was driving along on the freeway and noticed a sign that read: Low Bridge Ahead. Before he knows it, the bridge is right in front of him and his truck gets wedged under it. Cars are backed up for miles. Finally a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, 'Got stuck, huh?'
The truck driver says, 'No, I was delivering this bridge and I ran out of gas.'
SMART ASS ANSWER OF THE YEAR 2017!!A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow's final exam. 'Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other excuses whatsoever!'
A smart-ass student in the back of the room raised his hand and asked, 'What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?'
The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence was restored, the teacher smiled knowingly at the student, shook her head and sweetly said, 'Well, I guess you'd have to write the exam with your other hand.'
Todays Floriduh joke
Florida Woman Stops Alligator Attack Using a Small Beretta Pistol:This is a story of self-control and marksmanship by a brave, cool-headed woman with a small pistol against a fierce predator. What’s the smallest caliber that you would trust to protect yourself?Here’s her story in her own words:"While out walking along the edge of a pond just outside my house in The Villages with my soon to be ex-husband, discussing property settlement and other divorce issues, we were surprised by a huge 12-ft. alligator which suddenly emerged from the murky water and began charging us with its large jaws wide open.She must have been protecting her nest because she was extremely aggressive.If I had not had my little Beretta .25 caliber pistol with me, I would not be here today!""Just one shot to my estranged husband's knee cap was all it took. The 'gator got him easily, and I was able to escape by just walking away at a brisk pace."It's one of the best pistols in my collection, plus the amount I saved in lawyer's fees was really incredible. His life insurance was a big bonus.
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